Public concern over a proposed permanent radioactive source storage facility tied to Suriname’s oil development sector has prompted an official response from the country’s National Environmental Authority (NMA), which has moved to clarify the project’s current status and regulatory process.
In a statement released on May 26, the NMA acknowledged that widespread anxiety has emerged among Suriname’s communities regarding the planned facility, which will store radioactive materials used in oil exploration and production operations. The regulator emphasized that all mandatory legal protocols for environmental impact assessment are being strictly followed at every stage of the project review, and no final evaluation or approval decision has been issued to date.
According to the NMA, the proposal is currently in the active public consultation period, a key requirement for major infrastructure projects with potential environmental risks in Suriname. The authority has issued a formal call for all relevant stakeholders and ordinary citizens to submit their concerns, feedback, alternative perspectives and expert input either in written form or through scheduled public consultation sessions.
The NMA stressed that every submission of public concern will receive a full substantive review, and all input will be weighted seriously when the authority conducts its final evaluation of the facility proposal. Under Suriname’s environmental regulations, the project developer and its contracted environmental consultants are legally required to integrate all public objections, proposed alternative solutions, and suggested risk mitigation measures in full into the final consolidated environmental impact report (EIR) for the project.
Only after this complete, updated EIR is officially submitted to the regulator will the NMA begin its in-depth substantive assessment and move forward with formal decision-making on whether to approve the permanent radioactive storage facility, the authority confirmed.